Jade Curtiss (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
sarcasmancer) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
towerofanimus2013-12-06 10:48 pm
sarcasmancer) wrote in towerofanimus2013-12-06 10:48 pm
1. Wisdom
[Characters]: Jade Curtiss, OPEN
[Setting]: Room 1-06, Floor 5, 19, 45, Cafeteria.
[Format]: Prose to begin, but I'll follow your lead if there's something else you prefer.
[Summary]: Jade's arrival in the Tower and what he finds there.
[Warnings]: Mild creepiness on Floor 45 but nothing more than that. Yet.
[Edit]: I had Jade looking up information on the Tower on Floor 19. Someone gave me a head's up that there aren't any texts about the Tower itself in the libraries, which is mentioned in the desc for Floor 3 but not 19, which is what I focused on. That's my bad, and it's been fixed. Sorry!
- Room 1-06 -
When he had gone to bed, the night over Grand Chokmah had been still and warm and calm. Could the world really have ended on so peaceful a night?
The note that greets Jade Curtiss when he awakens in a room with an unfamiliar ceiling says so, at least. He pulls himself upright, frowning at any of his new roommates should any of them be present--and if not, simply frowning at the clearly lived-in room simply for being--and then reads the note carefully.
His expression does not change for a moment. Then the fingertips of his left hand rest on the bridge of his spectacles while he sighs.
He is out of bed, ignoring for the moment the suitcase that is set up at the foot of it, and examining himself and the blue-liquid collar around the top of his neck, just above the collar of his usual military uniform, in the first mirror he's able to locate.
Then he is out, only briefly in the corridor outside his dorm room before he heads to the most logical first destination.
-------
- Floor 5 -
Jade silently observes the state of the world on the other side of the viewing station screen: everything dead and dust, from the humans to the planet to the stars. He rests a hand on his chin as he watches, a troubled look on his face. He spends a long time in front of the viewscreen, changing angles and locations and so forth. The vision of destruction never changes despite his efforts. In time, Jade turns his back on it, one hand in his pocket, one holding his spectacles in place as the glare from the overhead lights obscures his eyes, and walks away.
-------
- Floor 19 -
It had started in the more general library, which Jade had lingered in for no more than a minute until he was informed of where the actual research texts could be found. Then he brought himself here, and considers the many, many blank spots on the shelves, including and especially the entirely empty history section.
He sighs for the second time that day. "One would think that these 'benefactors' would go to more effort to hide the fact that they're hiding something," he laments out loud, despite being in a library.
Nonetheless, he flips through a few of the remaining astral projection books, then returns them to their correct spots and finds himself a relatively comprehensive text on magical theory; something on the Tower itself would have been ideal, but he hasn't been able to find anything on the topic. At least he can compare and contrast "magic" with the fonic artes he knows. He removes the text and takes it with him to a suitably squishy chair, where he begins to peruse it. However intense his concentration, though, he's not so absorbed that he'd be unable to notice anyone approaching.
That would just be foolish.
-------
- Floor 45 -
After familiarizing himself with the nature of his new "home," the man known as the Necromancer brings himself to one of the observatory levels. He strolls up to the glass walls, peering through the cracks in the clouds at the empty sky. He's about to turn to leave when motion in his peripheral vision catches his attention, and he turns his head to regard something that might be human if if it weren't clinging upside-down to the outside of a glass wall on cloud level.
And, of course, it didn't have waxy corpse-gray skin stretched all over where its face should be.
Like a lizard, it creeps slowly down, then across, before coming to a halt in front of the long-haired man. Jade watches it without moving. It watches--for a relative value of "watches" given that it has no eyes--him back. When he steps to one side, it follows; when he steps back, it skitters around on himself and winds that way too. As the skies gradually begin to redden, a couple more of the faceless things crawl in, and he amuses himself for a time by walking slowly back and forth across the room and watching as he gradually leads a chain around the circumference of the floor like the Pied Piper of faceless horrors.
-------
- Cafeteria -
Jade is tempted, once night falls, to go hunting for monsters. For the nonce, he opts instead to get his first meal, having not bothered to eat all day. He heeds the warning and takes a bowl of hot, plain oatmeal as his first meal, then carries it to the first empty seat he finds and eats with all the resigned resolution of a soldier. His expression is somewhat distant as he eats, but the moment anyone speaks to him, it transforms into a pleasant smile.
This may be a trap.
[Setting]: Room 1-06, Floor 5, 19, 45, Cafeteria.
[Format]: Prose to begin, but I'll follow your lead if there's something else you prefer.
[Summary]: Jade's arrival in the Tower and what he finds there.
[Warnings]: Mild creepiness on Floor 45 but nothing more than that. Yet.
[Edit]: I had Jade looking up information on the Tower on Floor 19. Someone gave me a head's up that there aren't any texts about the Tower itself in the libraries, which is mentioned in the desc for Floor 3 but not 19, which is what I focused on. That's my bad, and it's been fixed. Sorry!
- Room 1-06 -
When he had gone to bed, the night over Grand Chokmah had been still and warm and calm. Could the world really have ended on so peaceful a night?
The note that greets Jade Curtiss when he awakens in a room with an unfamiliar ceiling says so, at least. He pulls himself upright, frowning at any of his new roommates should any of them be present--and if not, simply frowning at the clearly lived-in room simply for being--and then reads the note carefully.
His expression does not change for a moment. Then the fingertips of his left hand rest on the bridge of his spectacles while he sighs.
He is out of bed, ignoring for the moment the suitcase that is set up at the foot of it, and examining himself and the blue-liquid collar around the top of his neck, just above the collar of his usual military uniform, in the first mirror he's able to locate.
Then he is out, only briefly in the corridor outside his dorm room before he heads to the most logical first destination.
-------
- Floor 5 -
Jade silently observes the state of the world on the other side of the viewing station screen: everything dead and dust, from the humans to the planet to the stars. He rests a hand on his chin as he watches, a troubled look on his face. He spends a long time in front of the viewscreen, changing angles and locations and so forth. The vision of destruction never changes despite his efforts. In time, Jade turns his back on it, one hand in his pocket, one holding his spectacles in place as the glare from the overhead lights obscures his eyes, and walks away.
-------
- Floor 19 -
It had started in the more general library, which Jade had lingered in for no more than a minute until he was informed of where the actual research texts could be found. Then he brought himself here, and considers the many, many blank spots on the shelves, including and especially the entirely empty history section.
He sighs for the second time that day. "One would think that these 'benefactors' would go to more effort to hide the fact that they're hiding something," he laments out loud, despite being in a library.
Nonetheless, he flips through a few of the remaining astral projection books, then returns them to their correct spots and finds himself a relatively comprehensive text on magical theory; something on the Tower itself would have been ideal, but he hasn't been able to find anything on the topic. At least he can compare and contrast "magic" with the fonic artes he knows. He removes the text and takes it with him to a suitably squishy chair, where he begins to peruse it. However intense his concentration, though, he's not so absorbed that he'd be unable to notice anyone approaching.
That would just be foolish.
-------
- Floor 45 -
After familiarizing himself with the nature of his new "home," the man known as the Necromancer brings himself to one of the observatory levels. He strolls up to the glass walls, peering through the cracks in the clouds at the empty sky. He's about to turn to leave when motion in his peripheral vision catches his attention, and he turns his head to regard something that might be human if if it weren't clinging upside-down to the outside of a glass wall on cloud level.
And, of course, it didn't have waxy corpse-gray skin stretched all over where its face should be.
Like a lizard, it creeps slowly down, then across, before coming to a halt in front of the long-haired man. Jade watches it without moving. It watches--for a relative value of "watches" given that it has no eyes--him back. When he steps to one side, it follows; when he steps back, it skitters around on himself and winds that way too. As the skies gradually begin to redden, a couple more of the faceless things crawl in, and he amuses himself for a time by walking slowly back and forth across the room and watching as he gradually leads a chain around the circumference of the floor like the Pied Piper of faceless horrors.
-------
- Cafeteria -
Jade is tempted, once night falls, to go hunting for monsters. For the nonce, he opts instead to get his first meal, having not bothered to eat all day. He heeds the warning and takes a bowl of hot, plain oatmeal as his first meal, then carries it to the first empty seat he finds and eats with all the resigned resolution of a soldier. His expression is somewhat distant as he eats, but the moment anyone speaks to him, it transforms into a pleasant smile.
This may be a trap.
no subject
[After all, a meow that loud and plaintive, after a clearly intelligent nonverbal response, would seem to be a very emphatic negative. Just as Gilles doesn't know what to make of Jade, Jade doesn't know what to make of Gilles, but he does represent a challenge to figure out and, more to the point, a distraction--which was the point of coming to this floor in the first place--so he's quite keen on seeing if he can bridge this communication gap.
The main problem being what Gilles has already observed: there's nothing around with which to make letters. If there are writing utensils in Jade's trunk, he doesn't know yet, having opted to figure out what's going on before verifying what was supposedly sent with him from Auldrant, and sadly there haven't been any pens or pads of paper lying around. There isn't anything soft in this room either, so the cat can't simply make letters that way...
Hm. Jade gives a thoughtful look to his gloved hand. Even as long as they are, it's the work of a moment to remove that glove, at which point he offers his bare palm to Catster.]
Might I ask you your name? Here. You can try tracing letters on my palm. Of course, this is assuming both that you're literate and that you know a letter system that we both can read, and of course that you're capable of complex concepts, but one step at a time. Isn't this exciting?
I'm sorry, I belatedly realized I forgot to write in prose!
Yes! He reminds Gilles of Prelati, more than anyone else he's met here so far. Clever Prelati. What a good friend he was. Gilles admires intelligence.
When Jade holds out his hand, Gilles raises his paw, touching it to Jade's palm. Slowly and carefully, he traces a G on Jade's skin, keeping his gaze fixed on Jade's face as he does so, wondering if he's going to be able to understand. Are letters the same in other worlds? He just doesn't know.]
No worries! I'm fine either way.
The hitherto nameless cat seems to agree as well, since he follows direction, watching Jade's face the whole while. Jade knows he's watching, but he instead concentrates on the letter. It's... different from the fonic alphabet, but he knows it regardless. A curious sensation, different from when he was at the library and could read despite the same issue. A trick of the Tower, perhaps? This matches up with the same letters in those books, too. This in particular is a...]
G.
no subject
Gilles hasn't puzzled out the matter of communication in the Tower and the fact that all people can understand him, even though he's speaking French. He's dimly aware of that truth, but thinking about it is another matter. It had been the same during the Grail War. He had been able to speak to people of all nations.
When tracing the letter works, Gilles happily accepts that it works, engaging in no more contemplation than before. He continues to spell out his name more rapidly: I-L-L-E-S, purring again.]
no subject
But that goes without saying, really.]
...I-L-L-E-S... Gilles? I see.
[He turns his hand around and offers it to shake, paw notwithstanding.]
My name is Jade. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Gilles, though I imagine you've seen better days. You're not normally a cat, are you? You lack a certain... feline quality.
[That is to say, the ability to keep oneself clean. Good thing Jade has a strong stomach because Gilles really is filthy after all his recent adventures.]
no subject
He nods excitedly as Jade pronounces his name. Yes, that's it exactly! Jade is very clever indeed.
Then he nods again, for it's true, he's not a real cat. But in spite of this fact, he headbutts Jade's hand hopefully instead of shaking it. Probably he's not going to get petted again... ah, it's really too bad...
He is the filthiest of cats. All his hunting and adventuring have taken their toll. He can't complain about his current state, however. It's likely God has put him in this form! Although he can't decide whether it's because he wished to be an animal or whether it's to punish him. Regardless, he must have deserved it, and he keeps purring.]
no subject
But for now, the cat-person seems cooperative and friendly enough, and while some of that filth in his fur may be blood, Jade's aware of the monsters lurking about, so it doesn't raise the red flags it otherwise might. When Gilles headbutts his hand rather than offering a paw to shake, that underscores it, and Jade laughs.]
You might not be a cat originally, but you certainly don't mind the form, do you? Or perhaps you're already losing your mind to this shape. I would be careful of that if I were you, Gilles.
[Nonetheless, Jade does him the courtesy of scratching under his chin for a bit. Gilles really doesn't seem perturbed by his state, especially not if he's non-verbally requesting further pets. He wonders if he'd never been human in the first place.]
I'd also recommend finding a place to take a bath at some point. You're something of a mess.
no subject
Gilles looks up at Jade, meeting his gaze again. He blinks. It's true, he likes it like this. The concept of having wished to be an animal so that he might be freed from sin and torment is probably too elaborate to communicate. If he should lose his mind, perhaps it would be better! But he can't explain that his mind is no good. So instead of trying to explain it, he enjoys being petted, and being popular while he's like this. He purrs when Jade scratches under his chin, seeming to say that he doesn't care and isn't going to be careful. (But when does he care, and when is he careful?)
However, when a bath is mentioned, he shakes his head warily. That doesn't sound like a good idea. No, currently, getting wet sounds like a bad idea.]
(Where /did/ you get all these Catster icons from? They're adorable)
Amusement is plain on Jade's face when Gilles instantly turns wary at the mention of the B-word. If it helps any, he doesn't stop scratching his chin this time.]
Ah, it seems you've developed some of the feline mindset after all. Perhaps you wanted to be a cat all along? Well, that doesn't bother me. I have no interest in giving you a bath either, so you needn't worry there. You might want to look into learning how to groom yourself, though. I understand the mats unkempt cats can get in their fur are rather painful for them.
no subject
[Most people don't understand what Gilles is thinking, or why. That's probably for the best.
He looks relieved when Jade says he's not giving him a bath. What a sympathetic person. Gilles would like to talk to him. It's a little frustrating that he can't... Talking is something he misses a great deal, and this seems like a person with whom one might have beautiful conversations. Not so beautiful as with Ryuunosuke, but whose conversation is as beautiful as Ryuunosuke's?
Gilles wonders if he can feel pain from something like matted fur. He's aware that he's still essentially a Heroic Spirit, even if he's a cat. He's just a Heroic Spirit cat now. Will his fur mat? Could he use his magic to clean himself? In any case, he's sure he'll be fine.
Gilles thinks for a moment, as he enjoys being scratched, then he reaches up with a paw to spell again, spelling out another word.]
M - A - G - I - C
[Out of the context of Gilles' thought processes, it might be hard to tell what he's getting at.]
no subject
[It no doubt is, yes. For most people.
Jade is not most people. Granted that he and Gilles have very different internal lives--Gilles is scattered and emotional, and Jade is logical to the extreme--but Jade is also a prodigy at fonic artes, someone who from a very early age used the local flavor of magic to solve his problems and just earlier that day was writing a text on the subject. When Gilles paws at his hand and he opens it up to let the cat spell out the word MAGIC, Jade understands what he means immediately and is openly amused by it.
He will be less amused when he gets to know Gilles better. What does it imply about him that he understands how someone like this thinks with a single word?]
Oh? You mean you intend to use "magic" to keep yourself clean? That works, certainly. It's not as though losing your mind necessarily losing your artes.
[Amusement turns into curiosity.]
Might I be able to request a demonstration? I specialize in my world's version of magic, and I'm interested to see an example of another world's.
[Jade might soon regret asking this.]
no subject
[Ah, he was understood! What an understanding person. Gilles is getting to like him more and more, even if, in future, Jade might not like him very much.
Gilles nods again. He's sure he can use magic to fix the problem, somehow. He'll just have to look in Prelati's book for something that will work, since he can't remember any spells.
However, it won't be that hard to demonstrate for Jade. His monsters are already summoned, so they're ready to go. Since arriving, he's been summoning more and more of them as he makes more blood sacrifices with the Tower monsters, and they're hiding throughout the Tower. There's a comforting thought. He wants to help Jeanne, so it only makes sense that he be ready to assist her with all his power, isn't that so?
Yes, he's more than happy to provide a demonstration!
Gilles concentrates, then puffs up, then lets out a yowl. In a few moments' time, the floor is suddenly crawling with large tentacle monsters who flocked to their master's call--about twelve of them. Though as Gilles is remembering his manners (he's totally good now, really!), the poisonous monsters retain a fair distance from Jade, as they writhe and tumble unnaturally, the air of evil that surrounds them nearly palpable to those who can sense such things.]
no subject
["Understanding" is not an adjective that usually gets applied to Jade Curtiss, most of the time for good reason. That he and Caster seem to be even a little on the same wavelength does not say good things about either of them.
That being said, when Jade had requested a demonstration, he had been referring more to grooming magic. He hadn't been expecting something of this level. When the first of those tentacle monsters appears, Jade is instantly on guard, spear flashing into hand. The next instant, he's surrounded... but the monsters are giving him a wide berth, and given the timing, it's obvious that this is what Gilles chose as his demonstration.
So that spear disappears in another flash, and Jade sticks his hands in his pockets, now observing the creatures with analytical eyes. Their fonons are certainly... unusual, to say the least. He cannot sense evil per se, but there is definitely a palpably oppressive air around them. It's difficult to tell if this is "functioning as intended" or "the Tower is just screwy like that," though, because, well. When your magic is monster-summoning, beggars can't be choosers. The fact that they're all the same type of monster, ostensibly, suggests the former, though.
Not to mention, the fact that Gilles summoned a dozen of these in an instant means that he is not an opponent to take lightly. Neither is Jade going to approach these things until he knows more about them. He does, at least, begin to stroll around the room to get better looks at the hideous things.]
Monster summoning, eh... Fascinating. I'm familiar with people being able to control monsters, and the concept of summoning, but this is the first I've seen someone combine the two. This is some magic you have, Gilles.
[And while Jade does genuinely find it fascinating, it's also a little disturbing. The Necromancer can instantly see the potential for abuse here.]
I take it they're completely subject to your will; they seem rather docile.
no subject
[It's not necessarily that bad. After all, he finds Jeanne d'Arc understanding, too.
Gilles could have tried some cleaning magic, but that would have been hard, as it would have involved learning something new, and almost all Prelati's magic is about killing and manipulating. Applying that to cleaning might be tricky. Monsters--monsters are easy!
Also, he doesn't want to take the book out in someone else's presence when he's in this form. What if he can't protect it properly? He remembers the last time it was injured with displeasure.
Gilles scampers along at Jade's side, looking up at him admiringly, pleased to have impressed him, whiskers quivering. He hesitates at the question, then nods. He does control them, but sometimes he simply lets them run riot, and he doesn't always pay close attention to what they're doing. They don't harm him, and if he tells them not to harm someone else, like Ryuunosuke, they won't. Now he's playing close attention, so they're on their best behavior. Gilles keeps himself between the monsters and Jade, making sure they maintain their distance. He doesn't want to poison him. Sometimes, it's awkward having your greatest magical talent be barbed, murderous tentacle monsters that exhale poisonous gases.
Abuse his powers? Gilles? Never!
Well, he's trying not to.If only he could talk again. There are many things he'd like to ask Jade! He seems so interesting.]
no subject
[All good reasons, all of which Jade is unaware. It'll make sense if/when they can communicate verbally and Gilles can explain all these nuanced things to him, but for now, he'll still wonder, because wondering is what Jade does.
He keeps his pace slow so that Gilles can keep up with him on those stubby legs of his. He looks like the cat who got the cream right now, so to speak. Jade also notes that hesitation before the nod. If this is a matter that requires concentration... As such, he stops and stoops down to offer his arm to Gilles. If the Heroic Spirit is so inclined, he can climb right up.]
I'd love a more in-depth conversation with you on the matter, but... well, there's only so far writing on palms can get us. I suppose all we can do is hope that your present condition isn't permanent, even if you seem content enough with it. Can you dismiss them, or would you need me to clean up for you?
[Not that Jade enjoys cleaning up after other people's messes, and these monsters look particularly dangerous even without explicitly knowing they're venomous, but... well, see above. Given the enclosed area and the fact that he can feel his throat starting to burn already just from being in the presence of their exhalations, though, Jade feels it would be best not to invite more trouble than is necessary.]
sorry for the slow!
[Gilles doesn't hesitate to climb up when the arm is offered. He runs right up to perch on Jade's shoulder, contentedly, as if he were a pet or familiar. He meows, with another nod. He is content. To answer Jade's other question, a tremor runs through the monsters, and they slither and tumble away. See that isn't difficult. They won't come out again until Gilles has need of them. He doesn't feel he needs them at the moment, and he wouldn't want to poison Jade.]
No worries! Let's try to wrap this up though, this post is ooold now
For the nonce, once Gilles has skittered up his arm and perched on his shoulder like a particularly dirty parrot, then dismissed the monsters without an issue, Jade gives the space where they were a thoughtful look. That seems a very useful power... Once he gets to know Gilles better, he may have to call upon him.
Assuming he ever regains his original form, anyway.]
Thank you for showing me something fascinating, Gilles. I should be on my way, I'm afraid--I haven't eaten yet today and my stomach betrays me--but if there is a lower floor to which you wish to head, I wouldn't mind bringing you there.
[His smile widens.]
You seem to be quite comfortable where you are, after all.